42ENGLISH's Full Review: Hound Dog Products Garden Cultivator Extends from ...
I hate getting on my hands and knees to do my weeding. My knees just aren’t up to it anymore. I have a rather large path area with flowerbeds on each side which need to be taken care of on a weekly basis, especially in the summer. I also plant a small vegetable garden in the spring which needs aerating regularly.
I decided to get a long-handled cultivator to make my garden chores a little easier. I bought the Hound Dog Garden Cultivator at Home Depot for $25.99. It was among a few more cultivators which were more expensive but it looked like it would do the trick.
Hound Dog’s Claim:
·Loosens soil
·Tills between and around rows
·Weeds and aerates planting beds
·Reduces back strain
Product Details
·Adjustable handle extends from 38” to 55”!
·Aluminum handle is sturdy and rust proof
·Detachable tines for precision cultivating
In the box:
Actually, this cultivator comes fully assembled with a box enclosing the cultivator tines. No instructions were really necessary.
The Product:
This cultivator has an aluminum adjustable handle with a slip-proof grip. The handle adjusts to seven different lengths, the longest being around 55 inches which was just right for me. To adjust it, there are two buttons to be pressed on the handle and it slides out easily. The base also detaches so it can be used as a hand cultivator.
The base of the cultivator is made of a hard plastic and the tines are made of aluminum. There are three detachable forks with eight tines on each which are about 2 .5 inches long. The three forks are also detachable which gives you the choice of using one, two or three depending on how small an area you are cultivating.
My Experience:
Well, when I saw the plastic base, I wasn’t very happy. I did expect a metal one for the price I paid. The handle was easy to adjust and any detachable parts could have been tackled by a child, very easy to disassemble. You simply flip separate, plastic switches on the forks and out they come.
My flowerbeds had been through a couple of rainstorms and then a couple of hot pre-spring Texas, weird-weather days. The soil was compressed and hard. It was pretty easy to dig the tines in but not to move the soil. I had to scratch the surface and make my way down which caused extra work.
I had been working on it for about twenty minutes when I noticed one of the tines had snapped off. Oh, well, I thought, there are plenty more to take over for it so I blew it off and continued cultivating.
I noticed a small clod of salt-grass had grown in the back of the flowerbed so I tackled it with a LITTLE elbow grease (and I mean a LITTLE-I am a heart patient and can’t get too strenuous). Two of the forks themselves snapped off as easily as a knife slicing through butter. This left me one which was not what I had bought it for.
Conclusion:
You would think that a garden tool such as this would not have any plastic components due to its task. That was a brief warning to me. However, this tool practically fell apart on me. It is not hardy and is flimsily made. I was really disappointed when the Hound Dog Garden Cultivator was broken only thirty minutes into its use.
The handle is what attracted me to this tool as it definitely made the job easier as far as knees and posture are concerned and the handle was strong and sturdy. However, the base was a shoddy plastic and the tines were weak and cheap and broke without much effort at all.
I find it curious that Hound Dog offers a lifetime warranty on this tool, one of the other things that attracted me to it. It is a good thing though because now I can go and get my money back. I think I will opt for an all metal cultivator this time.
For more information go to: http://www.hound-dog.com
The Hound Dog Garden Cultivator weeds and aerates planting beds. The Garden Cultivator handle adjusts from 38 inches to 55 inches. Includes bonus sh...More at Walmart
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